


Double Standards

by Burntcactii



Category: Teen Titans (Animated Series)
Genre: M/M, Rated T for Kyd's Biting Teeth, Slade Is A Bad Dad, and slade enabling him, djfklsjd this was supposed to be angsty but the first half is TOOTH ROTTING fluff, jmmmm tag for kyd craving violence, kyd and jericho just want to live alone in tibet . leave them alone
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-21
Updated: 2020-08-21
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:40:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,239
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26028103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burntcactii/pseuds/Burntcactii
Summary: “No one’s invincible, Joseph. You worry me so much. I know you think you need to be strong for everyone, that you need to suffer through everything alone because it’ll prove something, but you don’t.” Joseph huffed, turning to hide away in Elliot’s hands again, avoiding his gaze. “You are the embodiment of everything safe to me- I know you’ll keep me safe, no matter what. But, I want you to know I’ll keep you safe, too. Even against things I know I can’t win against.”orEverytime I read a meet the parents fic where Jericho needs Slade's approval for who he's dating an entire year is shaved off my lifespan. Kyd is going to beat the shit out of his boyfriend's shitty dad or die trying. WWE Jump City 2020 place ya bets
Relationships: Kyd Wykkyd/Joseph Wilson
Comments: 1
Kudos: 8





	Double Standards

**Author's Note:**

> Hello I am aware that like, chronogically, realistically, in the Teen Titans universe setting, does this make sense? No, it doesn't. I wanted to write them being cute then it turned into Jericho having daddy issues then in turned into Kyd wanting to beat Slade into the ground for causing them.

Jericho smiled at Kyd Wykkyd from the doorway of the living room. Or-

Joseph smiled at Ellie.

From the doorway of  _ their _ living room.

Kyd would still rant up and down how they were  _ absolutely _ not living together. How he did  _ not _ depend on Jericho for anything. But there was a difference between dependency and just… enjoying being around someone. Longing. 

Joseph hadn’t brought it up, he didn’t know how Elliot would react if he did. But Elliot had been spending an unbelievable amount of time with him, in his secluded cabin in Tibet. He’d still do heists and join the HIVE on midnight sprees, yeah. But he’d just as soon be curled against Joseph in bed or meditate with him in the mornings or-

Joseph smiled to himself. Kyd was happy here.  _ He _ was happy here, finally. 

Jericho  _ loved _ seeing Kyd happy- genuinely happy, with that smile that just barely tilted his lips up and made his features go from sharp to soft and open.

And Kyd loved seeing Joey’s paintings.

“They’re beautiful.” He whispered, reverently dragging a hand over the layers of paint and time and effort it took to create the colorful array of two figures dancing, spreading color all around the cold exterior of a grey brown cabin. They were too distorted and abstract to really distinguish who the figures were, or the detail of the living room in the cabin. Jericho knew who they were, that was enough. 

“I wish I had your talent. Everything you make is wonderful.” Elliot whispered again, turning to smile appreciatively at Joey. Joey blushed and made a bashful face, ducking his head and scratching his neck to avoid Elliot’s glance. He knew he was okay with paint but it was always just a  _ him _ thing. No one to share it with, no one to use as muse. Elliot’s constant compliments and appreciative words and support was always too much for him at times. It was such a stark contrast to the lonely depravity of just having nothing and no one else in the cabin with him. 

Elliot's smile faded when he caught the corner of a darker painting, pulling the cloth off to reveal only a glance before Joey rushed up to place the cloth back from behind him.

_ Not finished! _ He signed with a smile as Elliot rolled his eyes at him. "You've been saying that about this painting for months now! What could be taking it so long?" Elliot laughed at him, reaching for the cloth again. 

Joseph caught his wrist, a pleasing look in his eyes. Elliot stared for a bit before sighing and dropping the cloth, smiling at Joseph and resting his arms around the shorter boy's neck. "Alright, I'll leave it alone. Don't see why you're so bent over me seeing it though." 

Joseph reached behind Kyd, moving the cloth blanket back in place before Kyd could see the way it'd dropped, revealing a pale, contemplative boy playing a violin. The chords of the violin were the abstract, rainbow veins of a blonde one's heart. 

Joseph smiled impishly at him, raising a hand to his lips before resting them on Elliot's waist.  _ Secret,  _ he'd signed. 

Elliot hummed, glaring, snorting a laugh when Joseph reached to kiss his cheek as a distraction. With a bright smile he ducked down and grabbed Elliot behind his knees, hauling him up so he flopped over his shoulder like a bag of garbage, all to the tune of Elliot yelling indignantly and laughing nonstop. "Stop _ \-  _ put me down you brute!" He laughed, punching at Joseph's back for good measure while Joseph spun around giddily, making Kyd break into more betraying laughter. "You're  _ awful _ and  _ wretched _ and  _ vile _ -" Kyd went on and on as Joseph easily slid him into more of a bridal style position, peppering him with kisses to make him laugh breathlessly. 

Joey tossed him on the couch with a smile, crawling forward to cuddle up to Kyd, wrapping his arms as tight as he could around his waist and burying his smile in Kyd's neck. 

"You're  _ ridiculous _ \- we  _ barely _ _ fit _ on this ratty thing together." Kyd snarked, despite smiling and curling his legs to make sure every part of them could be touching. Elliot sighed contently when he didn't get an answer, wrapping his arms around Joseph's shoulders and resting his face against the top of blonde curls, slowly combing through them with his fingers. 

"You wanna talk about that painting in the corner?" Elliot whispered. Joseph tensed, squeezing his waist tighter and shaking his head "no" into Elliot's neck. Elliot sighed. "I know you think if you deal with that stuff alone it's gonna make you look- strong, or whatever, but it doesn't. It just hurts." 

There was a painting shoved away in the corner, Joseph didn't think Elliot would notice, of course he did. It was new, another nightmare painting. Paintings like that usually frequented blood, throats being pulled open like a thread from a shirt, and a man with no face- just orange lava dripping from his skull and a singular evil eye. 

Slade.

The paintings happened less and less now, since Elliot had started being so dependent on Joseph to help him sleep. It was a two way street. 

Elliot liked the feeling of arms around him and warmth to curl into, the idea of being protected at night. When a tired arm flung itself over his back and dragged him close, he didn't have to imagine a cold, skeletal one scraping skin from muscle, instead. Joseph was safe, he kept Elliot safe. 

Joseph depended on it just as much. Having someone to touch, to feel, to  _ know _ is right there, and isn't going to abandon him or disappear forever on a moment's whim, it helped him through a lot. Elliot was a living reminder that he didn't have to be alone, that he was capable of maintaining relationships and bonds and love. There were some nights it made him feel pathetic and stupid, he felt like a child clinging to a teddy bear just to get to sleep. Elliot never let that train of thought last long. 

But then some nights Elliot wasn't there. Elliot was on a heist, or stuck trying to convince the hive he wasn't anywhere suspicious at night, or something of the like. And for every night he'd slept soundly against Elliot, the terrors came back with a vengeance all at once. 

"You told me you'd text." Elliot chided, sounding more sad than angry. "All you have to do is text me once, I'll be here in an instant for you. You know that."

Of course he knew that. But texting Elliot just because he has trouble sleeping felt like admitting defeat, somehow. Like he deserved to go through it alone, like he deserved the  _ fear _ for some reason. 

"Hey," Elliot said, wiggling around until Joseph finally looked up at him, bitterness glued to his features. "I love you." He goaded, caressing the sides of Joseph's face gently as he tried not to smile. 

The smile gave way eventually as Joseph turned his hide his face in Elliot's hands.

"Even if you're the most stubborn mental self-torturer I've ever met." That finally got a huffing laugh out of Joseph. 

A deep, thundering knock interrupted their laughs and dopey smiles. 

Kyd jerked to defensiveness immediately. "Are you expecting someone?" 

Joey shook his head, glaring mistrustfully at the wooden door. No one knocked like that. A deep, slow, thundering knock, three times. Elliot knocked softly, a pattern he tended to tap on surfaces when he was bored or nervous. The villagers would shoulder at the door more than knock, usually carrying items to offer as thanks to their "mountain-spirit". The village children would slap and kick at the door more than knock, followed by the unmistakable sound of conspirital giggles as they ran off before Joey could open the door. The elders and adults of the village would drag a large branch across his door when they were in danger, creating an unmistakable scratching sound that echoed through the house. 

No one knocked like that. Thundering, demanding, impending. 

Joseph's face changed to something Kyd didn't like. The lovesick grin traded in for something sharp, defensive,  _ protective _ . 

Like he knew what was behind the door, but was praying to be proven wrong. Like he  _ needed _ to protect Kyd.

_ Stay _ . Joseph signed in one quick movement, moving away immediately and taking his warmth with him. Kyd followed after him quietly, peeking behind the frame of the living room. He didn't like this Jericho. Defensive, tense, brave, but  _ scared _ . His eyes were hard, glaring death at the door. Elliot had never seen his eyes like that before. It made him sad. 

The thundering knock sounded a second time, breaking through the tense silence before Joseph took a deep breath and opened the door just a peek. 

Elliot saw red as the large figure of the one-eyed mercenary shoved his way into the doorway like he owned the place. 

Elliot wanted to attack him, wanted to scream, wanted to rip his fucking throat out-  _ see how he enjoys it _ . The endless nights he'd had to hold Joseph tight and just listen to him  _ cry _ because it's all he even could do. The nightmares where Joseph woke up with death in his eyes, gasping for breath and tensed for a fight that wasn't there until Kyd reminded where he was, who he was, who would keep him safe. The outrage and the injustice and the want to just  _ scream _ at the world after losing the option to. 

This man had  _ poisoned  _ Joseph's life. Relations be  _ damned _ , Elliot knew what he knew and he  _ wasn't  _ going to let Joseph get hurt again. 

"The runaway disappointment… and his pity case bastard." Slade said with that forever monotone, looking around the room lazily. Joseph was frozen in place, staring at that eye-  _ that one eye that would never let him sleep again- _

" _ I fucking dare you to say that again _ ." Kyd hissed, craning to look Slade in the eye. 

"And what would you have me call you? Bastard is the kind route." He said, leaning forward. 

" _ Runaway disappointment. _ " He snarled back. He should be afraid. Slade Wilson could kill him in an instant in a million ways. And at this distance it had the equivalency to taunting a tiger. But he wasn't afraid. He was just  _ furious _ . "Don't you  _ dare _ talk about him like you know him!"

"He  _ is  _ my son." There was a silence. Slade's eye narrowed when he saw Kyd wasn't a small bit shocked by this, simply glaring. Slade was expecting that to make Kyd run away from the situation all together, maybe make him rethink his place with Joseph. 

"Bold of you to give away family secrets like that to a rat you took in off the streets." Slade spoke, before turning to Joseph. "Bold, or  _ weak _ ."

Joseph couldn't breathe. He was frozen. This was the face, the mask, the  _ man _ haunting him since childhood. He was frozen, he couldn't move. Was he experiencing sleep paralysis? Was any of this even real? Would he  _ ever  _ wake up?

"Joseph… always the runt, always second place, always the  _ let down _ . You could've been great, you should've been great. With your ability? The  _ things _ we could accomplish together, Joseph. Robin was too stubborn, Terra too  _ weak _ \- but you? You have the benefit of pure bred genetics on your side." Slade went on and on it felt like. Joseph should've known he'd try to find him, that he  _ would _ find him. After his attention was waned from Robin, from Terra, from Raven… it was a matter of time. 

"We could be a  _ family _ again, ruling over people with fear,  _ father and s _ -" Slade grunted as he fell to one knee, Elliot stanced for a fight behind him. 

"Don't fucking finish that sentence you _ two toned  _ harlequin _ bastard!"  _ Elliot yelled. 

Slade stood on two legs again, turning to face Elliot like a bear facing down an angry dog. 

Slade moved to do something.  _ God _ , Joseph had never been so afraid in his life for what Slade would've done if he hadn't broken from his reverie, running to get in between his father and boyfriend. 

Joseph made a panicked gesture of an 'X' over his chest, glaring at his father with tears brimming his eyes.  _ Don't. He _ turned to Elliot, repeating a smaller version of the sign, tears falling as he looked at Elliot with desperation in his eyes.  _ Don't _ . Joseph's eyes were begging as streams of tears ran down his face, shaking his head and gripping Elliot's arms in a vice.

It was the look of someone who knew what Slade was capable of. Who was a  _ first hand witness _ to what Slade was capable of. Who couldn't lose the only thing he had left. His heart wouldn't be able to stand it. 

"So… does this mean you'll think about it?" Slade asked menacingly. Intimidation? And Slade called himself an A league supervillain.  _ Cheap _ . 

Joseph turned shakily, tears still falling as he moved to sign. This could be the defining moment of the rest of his life. His answer could change him forever- his answer could  _ kill him _ -

A glob of spit soared over Jericho and landed dead underneath the man’s single eye. 

“ _ Burn in hell!”  _ Elliot spat, as Jericho looked to him like he’d lost his mind. 

Thunder crashed outside, followed by the sound of breakables falling to the floor, furniture crashing, a highly trained mercenary fighting to maim, and an outraged teenager with no sense of self preservation fighting for dignity. 

_ Insane. _ Jericho signed angrily as he paced through the rubble of their bedroom. 

“I know.” Elliot mumbled regretfully, rubbing his probably broken arm. 

The brawl was ridiculous. Slade was used to fighting people who had some sense of self worth, something to lose, some hindrance or other- but Elliot had only seen red and gone at him with everything he had. Slade would twist his arm behind him just for Elliot to twist all the way around, dislocating or breaking things, just to get in a bite of flesh or a well aimed kick. 

There were rumors underground Slade had the power of regenerations or accelerated healing or something like that. Elliot wondered if that meant muscle and skin would grow back where he'd taken a chunk out of Slade's bicep, or if he'd just have a loose hole where Elliot had bit down and pulled away with blood and teeth and a grin like the cat who got the canary and was holding it loose and dead in his mouth.

Slade was right. He was a street rat. Street fighting rules came along with it.

The fight was completely unnecessary, at least in Jericho’s eyes. The house was ruined, his paintings, his knick knacks, his furniture- all just collateral damage to the two. What had they accomplished by fighting? They’d both fought until they were so beat that they  _ limped _ away from each other. Slade eventually saw the fight was futile and accomplishing nothing, retreating, for better or worse. 

But it  _ was _ necessary. Elliot didn’t know what Jericho’s answer was going to be to Slade, but there was no peaceful way out of that situation. Slade wouldn’t leave until someone  _ made him _ , and Joseph’s weak spot for family was his achilles’ heel. And Elliot would be  _ damned _ if Slade gaslighted Joseph into leaving the life he loved behind to chase some imaginary familial bond that Elliot personally didn’t think Slade was even capable of anymore. 

_ Hurt. Both! What reward! _ Jericho signed jerkily, still pacing.

“I-I don’t know-” Elliot sighed. “It just felt like the only thing I could do- I- had to fight him!” Elliot defended weakly.

_ For what? _ Joseph signed, glaring.  _ Strength? Masculinity? Honor? _

“It wasn’t my honor I was protecting!” Elliot roared, standing up. There was a tense silence as Joseph took this in and Elliot calmed himself down, sitting down again and running stressful hands through his hair. “It wasn’t me I was trying to be strong for.” He whispered. “I finally have someone else to be strong and brave and to  _ fight _ for, and…” 

Elliot looked up with angry tears in his eyes, and Joseph’s will to argue dropped. “He was going to take that away, Joe. He was going to take  _ you away _ and I  _ couldn’t just-” _

Joseph rushed forward and pulled Kyd into a tight embrace, nodding to show he knew what he meant. Elliot sighed, half through melting into the warmth Joseph brought, half because no matter how he squirmed some part of Joseph was still touching something broken or sprained or tender somehow. 

Joseph pulled away, a fond smile and shake of his head momentarily distracting Kyd from the terror that resided. The lingering idea of what could’ve happened- of who could’ve been lost. 

_ No idea what you were thinking _ . Jericho signed as he pulled a first aid kit that’d been scattered on the floor.  _ HIVE going to kill me. _

“I’m thinking I got a punch to the jaw and a bite to his arm in and that’s what matters here.” Elliot said smugly. “And don’t stress over the HIVE, they still think I’m visiting my dad in Arkham every night. They’ve got no idea about you, and they don’t need to, either. Jinx has her suspicions but nothing to base them on.” 

A too sharp tug of gauze around Elliot’s arm sent him hissing with a wince before Joseph sent an apologizing, guilty look his way.  _ Can’t understand. You nearly died. For me. _

“I’d do it again.” Elliot said without hesitation. Jericho gave him a tired, regretful look, moving to turn and grab more gauze before Elliot touched the side of his face and brought them close again, foreheads barely touching. “I know you don’t want to hear that, but I mean it.”

“ _ No one’s invincible, Joseph _ . You worry me  _ so much _ . I know you think you need to be strong for everyone, that you need to suffer through everything alone because it’ll  _ prove something _ , but you  _ don’t _ .” Joseph huffed, turning to hide away in Elliot’s hands again, avoiding his gaze. “You are the embodiment of everything safe to me- I know you’ll keep me safe, no matter what. But, I want you to know I’ll keep you safe, too. Even against things I know I can’t win against.”

Elliot gave a smug grin. “I at least know I can annoy them until they leave you alone for the next month or two.” that made Joseph laugh and shake his head.

Joseph finally came out of hiding, bringing both hands to squish Elliot’s face together and bring him low enough to lay a gentle kiss on his forehead.  _ Thank you _ . 

“Anytime.” Elliot croaked, red faced from the tender contact and the loving way Joseph looked at him.

“I mean it- anytime-” Elliot went on, making Joseph laugh and roll his eyes. “You know my number, seriously,  _ anytime at all _ you want me to beat up your shitty dad-” 

Yeah, they’d be alright. Jericho would build better defenses. Physically and emotionally.

And he’d  _ avoid _ Elliot’s number at all costs anytime he suspected his father would drop for a surprise visit.

Kyd still thought it was unfair Joey got a go at Brother Blood but he was so against Kyd roundhousing Slade. Heroes and their double standards.


End file.
